The composite photograph seen here was published as a postcard in 1916 to commemorate the centennial of the first Roman Catholic mass celebrated in Sherbrooke.
The card features portraits of Bishop Antoine Racine, Bishop Paul Larocque, Father A. E. Dufresne, and Auxiliary Bishop H. O. Chalifoux, together with views of Sherbrooke (in 1834) and the first altar used in Sherbrooke.
In 1816, the Bishop of Quebec had sent Father Jean Raimbault, of Nicolet, to minister to the Catholics in the Eastern Townships. At that time, Catholics in the region were Irish, for the most part. Raimbault traveled down the St. Francis River as far as Ascot Township (later Sherbrooke).